March 12, 2025

RIO DE JANEIRO - Day 4 - Copacabana Beach & Sugarloaf Mountain

You know I love a good beach! This is one! Even though it was man made. They filled in the shore line area to make the wide spread arch perfect for all the hotels and swanky residential towers across the street. The sand is a powdery and well groomed and the people watching top notch! Volleyball courts line the back of the beach and the most exciting games to watch are footy where they can only use their head and feet for shots. No hands!

After a couple of hours of Beach time we headed to SugarLoaf Mountain tramway. The plan was to be on top of the mountain for sunset. The crowds and weather did not cooperate and the views from atop were largely covered in clouds! The tram ride is two lifts in total and we did manage to see the City lights for night time views when we came back down to the mid point.

PAPEETE, FRENCH POLYNESIA

By Patricia Patrick • January 19, 2026
I got to go Sailing Again! We were supposed to head to the COOK ISLANDS after the lovely Rangiroa and the Tuamotu Archipelago, but due to stormy weather there, with all unprotected tender ports, they made the decision to head us southwest, back to the protected port in Papeeta (Tahiti). We got lucky and Holly ( pictured below) found us a sailboat available for charter.

RANGIROA, FRENCH POLYNESIA - Drone Shots

By Patricia Patrick • January 14, 2026
Since Janette Emerich is generous enough to share her drone photos with all of us on board the Ship, I have to share them with you all. This beauty is why I said we felt like we were in a screen saver the whole day in Rangiroa! I love the height perspective in the photos it really captures so much more. Blue Lagoon below:

RANGIROA, FRENCH POLYNESIA - More Drift Snorkeling

By Patricia Patrick • January 13, 2026
The water in Rangiroa is so spectacular, I wanted to spend more time drift snorkeling and checking out the area called " The Aquarium ". So today I went back out for a 3 hour session to do 3 drift passes in Tiputa pass and then spent an hour in an area with wonderful healthy corals and tons of fish, earning it the nickname " The Aquarium ".